Various fireplaces for residential and commercial users have been made available to consumers over the years with increased efforts to provide for more aesthetically pleasing configurations. There is increasing interest in a clean, streamlined fireplace appearance that maximizes visibility of the fire featured within the fireplace while minimizing the visibility of various features of a fireplace that are required for operation and safety.
Operation and safety of a fireplace requires certain functional features such as air inlets and outlets for circulating air around the fireplace to maintain a safe operating temperature. Likewise, safety regulations in many jurisdictions require that fireplace openings be fitted with safety barriers and that the external surfaces of safety barriers and other external surfaces be maintained below a maximum safe temperature during operation. The various functional features required for operation and safety of existing fireplace systems can impede visibility of the fire within an operating fireplace system and can impinge on the clean, uncluttered aesthetic desired by consumers. Moreover, the design and engineering of the various operational features of existing fireplaces frequently involve electromechanical components that add complexity to a fireplace system. Thus, fireplace systems with a streamlined aesthetic appearance and cooling systems having decreased complexity are desirable.